Chapter 32: A Decent Deal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: A Decent Deal
Blair avoided his gaze, adjusting her clothes as she pleaded with him.
"Herdin, let's go to the bedroom. Anyone could walk in here."
"Then we might end up doing it in the hallway. Are you fine with that?"
Herdin pulled her close, as if to emphasize his point. Through the thin layers of their clothes, she could feel his searing heat.
"I don't think I can wait even that long."
Blair's lips parted in shock. Looking into his eyes, which burned with a hunger that threatened to consume her whole, she realized he wasn't teasing. He meant it.
Herdin looked down at Blair, who could no longer bring herself to ask to go to the bedroom. Letting out a low chuckle, he pressed his lips to hers again. He slipped his hand beneath the clothes she had been trying to fix, kneading her soft flesh as he whispered:
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
To do as I please, regardless of your will.
Because, just as you said, I simply desire you like any other man.
As Herdin leaned down and bit her neck, Blair's back arched.
Tormenting her relentlessly with his lips, Herdin grabbed her ankle. His hand traced a path up her slender leg, which was thinner than his forearm, and slid beneath her skirt.
"Herdin...!"
Blair tried to close her legs, but Herdin was already between them, leaving her unable to budge.
She bit her lip to keep from crying out. The office door, standing right in front of her, was a source of terror. Yet, that very fear only heightened the dizzying pleasure.
Now practically sprawled across the desk, Blair stared blankly out the window above her head. The cloudless winter sky sparkled with a dazzling light. Her violet eyes, reflecting the scenery, blinked slowly.
She felt as though nothing mattered anymore.
If this was what he wanted…
At that moment, a large shadow fell over her as a heavy weight pressed down. Unable to bear the overwhelming sensation flooding through her, she bit the back of her hand.
But Herdin pinned both of her hands with just one of his.
Blair looked up at him with resentful eyes, biting her lip hard to stifle any sound. Seeing this, Herdin's brow furrowed.
Such a stubborn woman.
Her futile resistance was both ridiculous and annoying, yet he didn't dislike it. In fact, it was so quintessentially her that he found it almost cute.
Herdin leaned down toward Blair, who was desperately holding back sobs, her eyes on the verge of spilling tears. He gently sucked on her swollen lips before releasing them, whispering, "Don't bite them."
After holding her breath for a moment, Blair finally surrendered. Deeply satisfied, Herdin rained kisses down on her flushed cheeks and earlobes.
"Herdin..."
Blair called his name, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He loved the sound of her breathless, trembling voice calling his name in desperation. He loved how she clung to him, holding on as if she couldn't bear to let go.
It made all his past efforts to suppress his desire feel utterly pathetic.
A moment later, the chaotic sounds that had filled the office fell away, replaced by an abrupt silence. In the stillness that settled, only their ragged breathing echoed. Trapped in his embrace, Blair's body trembled uncontrollably.
Herdin kissed her cheek, savoring the lingering afterglow, and only pulled away once her trembling subsided.
He looked down at Blair, who was catching her breath with tear-filled eyes.
She was a picture of wanton abandon, sprawled across his desk.
And yet, in that state, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Suddenly, he recalled what Yohan had said yesterday.
‘Well, honestly, she is beautiful. With a face and body like that, what man wouldn't fall for her?’
Seeing how every man seemed to lose their mind around her, his own desire probably wasn't anything special. It was merely a primal attraction to beauty.
Yes, because she was, objectively, beautiful.
Beautiful enough that any man would want to hold her hand or strike up a conversation. And a woman like that had become his contract wife. On top of that, she was offering him her body—if he so desired.
Was this, too, for the sake of the man she loved?
For a fleeting second, he felt a pang of pity for that fool, but he quickly brushed the thought aside.
Does the reason even matter?
In any case, this woman was right here in front of him. She was his wife, even if only in name.
There was the fool who lost his woman because of his low status, a man who couldn't even meet her as he pleased while another man claimed her first night.
There was the woman who had to play the role of a wife to a man she didn't love, all for a future with the man she did.
And there was him, the man being used for their love story, in exchange for a price.
Who was the most pitiful of them all?
Objectively, it wasn't him.
But humans are ultimately self-centered creatures, and in that moment, he felt miserable. Even after taking the body of the woman he wanted, he felt like the most pathetic one of all.
He was not used to sharing what he had grasped in his hands. He never would be. He had been born and raised that way.
Herdin lifted Blair off the desk. Still reeling from the aftermath, she stumbled, unable to stand properly. He turned her weak, collapsing body around and made her lean against the desk.
"...Herdin?"
Only then did Blair realize something was wrong. She tried to pull away, but Herdin held her fast.
"Ah...!"
The way Blair's body trembled in his arms gave him a strange sense of satisfaction. Holding her fragile, quivering form, he pressed his lips to her exposed, pale back.
This was a contract. A deal where they took what they wanted from each other until it ended.
He didn't know what Blair wanted from him, but she would surely take it. Therefore, he only needed to take what he wanted from her, to his heart's content.
So, this was indeed a decent deal.
*
In the Empress's Palace, there was a massive greenhouse built by the Late Emperor for his beloved Empress, Katrina.
Not just the greenhouse, but the entirety of the current Empress's Palace—constructed to replace the one where Esmeralda used to reside after it burned down—was a gift from the Late Emperor to Katrina. She loved everything about this palace, just as she loved her children.
For all of it served as proof of the love she had received from the man who once ruled this vast empire.
The mornings she spent in this greenhouse, filled with all kinds of rare, exotic flora and the sweet chirping of beautiful birds, were among her favorites for that very reason.
Katrina stirred her black tea with a teaspoon, listening to the birdsong. Her movements were so elegant that no one would ever suspect she had been born a commoner.
She set down the teaspoon and lifted her teacup. As she looked at her own impassive face reflected in the dark liquid, a voice she had heard a few days ago echoed in her mind.
‘Are you afraid of me, Your Majesty?’
‘...’
‘You are brainwashing me, almost as if you are terrified I might discover the truth.’
Katrina paused, the cup hovering just before her lips. As she recalled the voice and its owner, the corners of her mouth curled upward.
"...My, how insolent."
Lost in thought for a moment, Katrina set the cup back down without taking a sip. Standing by, Countess Magrid immediately noticed the gesture and stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We must plant someone in the House of Delmark. I am curious to know how Blair is doing. I am rather worried about her."
Katrina's gentle voice was as soft as that of a mother genuinely concerned for her daughter.
*
Herdin opened his eyes to the sound of Blair's dry cough. He felt as refreshed as if he had just woken from a deep sleep after a full day of training.
His last memory was of the dawn twilight, but judging by the light filtering through the window, it was now quite late.
Sensing a presence, he turned his head and saw Blair fast asleep beside him.
Yesterday afternoon, after taking her several times in his office, he had finally given in to her pleas and moved to the bedroom. Since then, he had possessed her like a beast. They even ate their meals in bed. Once he finished feeding her—as she lacked the strength to even lift a finger—he would devour her next.
Once the reins on his suppressed desire were released, it erupted beyond all control. It was like drinking seawater; the more he drank, the thirstier he became.
Exhausted and overwhelmed, Blair had tried to coax him, pleaded with him, and even cried, but her tears only served to stimulate him further.
Just remembering her tear-streaked face made his body react, as if a whole night of satisfying his lust hadn't been enough.
...Madman.
Mocking himself, Herdin suppressed the heat coiling in his lower abdomen and got out of bed.
His foot brushed against his clothes, which lay discarded on the floor. Since this was Blair's room, there were no other clothes for him to wear.
Herdin instinctively reached for the bell pull to summon a servant, but then lowered his hand. For some reason, he didn't want to disturb the quiet peace.
He pulled on his trousers and shirt, then walked over to the fireplace to light it. Staring blankly at the burning logs, he habitually pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it.
He brought the lit cigar to his lips, but his hand paused. His brow furrowed as he let out a sigh.
Before taking a single puff, he tossed the cigar into the fire.